N.Y. Times loses drone-strike suit against Obama administration

1/2/13 5:15 PM EST

The New York Times has failed in its latest attempt to obtain more information about the Obama administration's drone program.

U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon today said the administration did not violate the law by refusing the paper's Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) request for materials relating to the administration's targeted kllings of terrorists, including American citizens.

David McCraw, the Times' assistant general counsel, has announced the paper's intention to seek an appeal.

"We began this litigation because we believed our readers deserved to know more about the U.S. government's legal position on the use of targeted killings against persons having ties to terrorism, including U.S. citizens," McCraw said in a statement.

The suit came about when Times reporters Charlie Savage and Scott Shane were denied information about the administration's drone program, including the killing of U.S. citizen Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen.